Tag: pet transportation

Pet shipments, any pet transportation really, must abide by a lot of country rules, some of which don’t really ever seem to make sense.

For 5 months I have been working with another agent to get “Blue” the American Bully to India. 3 times we have had him booked to go, only to find out at the last minute – last time I was literally on the way to the airport with him – that there would be a problem with customs upon arrival.

And so I turned around and brought him back. He’s stayed with friends, owners have traveled back and forth from India and he’s been boarding now for 3 or 4 weeks.

Today he finally gets to go. The issues have not been with any of his paperwork, but the fact that the owners have spent too much time in India prior to having Blue join them. India has strict rules about pet importation, and basically they do not allow in pets for sale. I guess that’s what they might have been afraid of, since Blue’s mom had spent more time in India the prior 6 months, than outside the country. So they may not consider him “her” dog, as she didn’t take him with her immediately.

Whatever the reason, and whatever the pet travel, there are rules that must be met and followed. While most countries will work with an owner or pet shipping company to meet requirements, or resort to quarantine, there are some countries that will immediately return a pet, and some even worse, will euthanize pets.

If you are not using a pet shipper, make sure you investigate with due diligence to make sure your pet complies to the rules. There are also some of us that will charge a fee just to help with paperwork and work with you and your vet, even if we are not moving the pet.

Later this year, all pets will be required to go to the new quarantine center in Melbourne. The Perth quarantine center closed last year, and with the opening of the new center, the facility in Sydney will close too. The problem with Melbourne is that the pets must travel there directly. Compared to Sydney, there will only be a couple flights a day from LAX for all pets, compared to several airlines each with multiple flights per day from LAX and San Francisco. While more pets will be allowed per plane, chances are that we will not always get the flight or date wanted.

Will no direct flights from the east coast or from Canada, it means we will be sending all pets to LAX to another agent and colleague to finalize documents or, at a minimum, collect off a domestic flight and then hand off on a Qantas flight.

Additionally, the fees for quarantine, arrival, and permits have increased. The new facility houses not only dogs and cats, but also birds, horses and all other animal imports.

The rules for importation into Australia are stringent, and the preparation starts months in advance. This is not a move that can take place on short notice, nor is it inexpensive. Cats are easier than dogs, since the blood testing required for dogs is not applicable to cats.

This blog form Cesar Millan has some good summer tips for keeping your pet safe.

I will only add some tips about moving/shipping/traveling with your pet during the summer:

For flying: when possible, always use a nonstop flight, and aim for early morning or late evening when possible. Pets will have to be tendered to the airline 2-4 hours in advance, depending on the airline and destination – so you want to make sure the pet is in a safe environment during that time period, and not sitting somewhere hot. Make sure the dishes attached to the door are large enough for water, and provide it before handing the pet off.

For Driving: make sure to take water with you, stop in shady spots when you park for a rest stop, and never, ever leave pets in a car. Even with the AC on, the interior of a car can become overwhelming hot quickly.

The EU Commission established a set of pet importation guidelines in 2003. It was supposed to make pet moves into the EU the same for every country. It didn’t. What happened is that every country put their own nuance into the regulations – and therefore some countries require parasite treatments, some don’t; some will accept imports on the weekends, some don’t; and only certain cities are considered ports of entry that have both customs and veterinary services available.

Each country has it’s own variation of the fees due upon arrival for veterinary inspections and customs or duty fees. Some countries Airborne Animals must pay up front along with payment for the freight charges, and some countries the owner or agent must pay upon arrival.

Because we ship so many pets to Europe – Newark and NY have many flights there – we feel confident in saying we have become experts at this part of the world. We have contacts in Europe everywhere that can assist a pet owner with the arrival process. In general, we do not recommend doing it yourself unless you speak the local language, and have done it before.

We have our own kennel facilities for overnight guests that we are either preparing for travel, or have met upon arrival. These are our vehicles you will see when we collect pets, or deliver them after travel.